hat they were like peals of thunder. He shook his head
despondently; he could not believe that such views as mine could ever
be attained to among the Kosekin. But Layelah was bolder, and with all
a woman's impetuosity grasped at my fullest meaning and held it firm.

"He is right," said Layelah--"the heaven-born Atam-or. He shall be our
teacher. The rich shall be esteemed, the poor shall be down-trodden;
to rule over others shall be glorious, to serve shall be base; victory
shall be an honor, defeat a shame; selfishness, self-seeking, luxury,
and indulgence shall be virtues; poverty, want, and squalor shall be
things of abhorrence and contempt."

The face of Layelah glowed with enthusiasm as she said these words,
and I saw in her a daring, intrepid, and high-hearted woman, full of a
woman's headlong impetuosity and disregard of consequences. In me she
saw one who seemed to her like a prophet and teacher of a new order
of things, and her whole soul responded to the principles which I
announced. It required immense strength of mind and firmness of soul
to separate herself from the prevalent sentiment of her nation; and
though nature had done much for her in giving her a larger portion of
original selfishness than was common to her people, still she was a
child of the Kosekin, and her daring was all the more remarkable. And
so she went further than her father, and adopted my extreme views when
he shrank back, and dared more unflinchingly the extremest rigors of
the national law, and all that the Kosekin could inflict in the way of
wealth, luxury, supreme command, palatial abodes, vast retinues of
slaves, and the immense degradation of the queenly office.

I spoke to her in a warning voice about her rashness.

"Oh," said she, "I have counted the cost, and am ready to accept all
that they can inflict. I embrace the good cause, and will not give it
up--no, not even if they could increase my wealth a thousand-fold,
and sentence me to live a hundred seasons. I can bear their utmost
inflictions of wealth, power, magnificence; I could even bear being
condemned to live forever in the light. Oh, my friend, it is the
conviction of right and the support of conscience that strengthens one
to bear the greatest evils that man can inflict."

From these words it was evident to me that Layelah was a true child of
the Kosekin; for though she was of advanced sentiments she still used
the language of her people, and spoke of the punishment